Part 46

Learn how to play as Guyana led by Cheddi Jagan in Civilization V! This guide covers unique attributes, strategy, and historical context for this custom civilization mod.

Hey there! So, you're diving into the world of Civilization V custom mods, and you've stumbled upon Guyana led by Cheddi Jagan. This guide is brought to you by EmeraldRange, with a little help from JakeWalrusWhale and others. Just a heads-up, you'll need the Brave New World expansion for this one to work. ### Early History and Colonial Contact Long, long ago, around 35,000 years ago, the Carib and Arawak peoples made their way into what is now Guyana. The Carib called the area near the Essequibo River and its streams "Guayana," which means "land of waters." The Arawak mostly settled along the coast, while the Carib preferred the interior. When the Spanish showed up in 1499, they found the Caribs were tougher fighters and had less gold than the Arawak, so they pretty much left the Guianas and Lesser Antilles alone. Fast forward to the 16th century, and the Dutch, who had just become independent, started setting up trade posts on the Essequibo River. By 1621, they were really digging in, establishing colonies like Essequibo, Demerara, and Berbice. For the next couple of centuries, they turned this region into a bunch of farming colonies, heavily relying on the transatlantic slave trade. They tried to push the native Amerindians inland, but sadly, conflict and disease still took a heavy toll. The Dutch brought in about 3,000 African slaves and ran a pretty brutal system. They faced a few slave rebellions, the most famous being the 1763 uprising in Berbice, where enslaved Africans actually took control of the region for a bit! Almost half the European population fled. Eventually, soldiers from neighboring British and French colonies helped put down the rebellion. Today, the leader of that uprising, Coffy, is still a national hero, with a statue in Georgetown's Square of the Revolution. ### Pre-independence Cold Wars and Cheddi Jagan After World War II, figures like Cheddi Jagan and Forbes Burnham started to rise, pushing for workers' rights and self-governance. The People's Progressive Party (PPP) formed, led by Jagan, and the People's National Congress (PNC) with Burnham at its center. Cheddi Jagan became a really important voice in the 1950s, advocating for independence and social changes. When his government was elected in 1953, they immediately clashed with British rule by encouraging strikes and even boycotting Queen Elizabeth II's coronation. Britain freaked out, seeing Jagan and Guyana as a potential communist foothold in South America. Even though MI5 found no evidence of communist bloc support, the British suspended the constitution, sent in troops, and arrested Jagan. During this period, the PPP and Burnham's PNC became increasingly divided along racial lines, and Jagan's actions alienated many Afro-Guyanese voters. After the British occupation ended, Jagan won the 1957 elections again. He then became more friendly with the communist bloc and refused to join the embargo against Cuba. U.S. President John F. Kennedy tried to sway Jagan towards the U.S. by backing anti-Jagan unions and stirring up racial unrest. Despite all this, Jagan remained popular, winning the 1961 election even after the British made more constitutional changes. ### Independence, Burnham Era and onwards The years that followed were rough, with lots of strikes and violence, leading to more constitutional changes and increased American involvement, especially after the Cuban Missile Crisis. The British dissolved the government again and changed the election rules for 1964. The PPP won the most votes but couldn't form a government. After the British finally removed Jagan, Guyana gained independence in December and was renamed Guyana, with Forbes Burnham as Prime Minister. Burnham's administration initially brought some stability and shared Jagan's vision of cooperative societies, getting support from the British and Americans as the "lesser evil." In 1968, Burnham secured a majority and, with CIA backing, consolidated power and promoted socialism. In the 1970s, Guyana became a republic, joined the Non-Aligned Movement, and Burnham used intimidation and voter fraud to stay in power. Major election rigging in 1978 and the Jonestown massacre brought intense international scrutiny. In 1979, violence escalated as the PNC targeted political opponents, leading to a new constitution in 1980 that made Burnham the executive President. However, this didn't fix the country's infrastructure problems or the corruption under the PNC. Burnham died in 1985, and his vice president, Desmond Hoyte, tried to stabilize the party. He held free elections in 1992, which Cheddi Jagan won, becoming the first PPP president of Guyana. Jagan largely kept the economic policies of the Burnham era, despite his public criticisms, and focused more on political reform. He passed away in 1997 and was succeeded by his wife, Janet Jagan, who resigned in 1999 due to health issues. In the early 2000s, Guyana was still quite underdeveloped. Tensions between the PNC and a reformed PPP (now PPP/C) eased by the 2006 election. Exxon got a license for oil exploration, which brought international politics to the forefront, including maritime border disputes with Venezuela and Suriname. By 2015, after various scandals, the APNU+AFC coalition won the election. The discovery of oil in the western part of the country reignited old border disputes with Venezuela. Guyana continues to face electoral conflicts, with the 2020 election results being contested by the APNU+AFC. The nation is navigating the complexities of its oil wealth and international disputes. While its cooperative spirit remains, the focus on sustainable development and equitable growth is shifting towards resource exploitation, as seen by Guyana's GDP growing by a massive 64% in 2022. ### Dawn of Man This section seems to be cut off in the source text. We'll pick up here in the next part!